


Together We Bleed

by Crowned_Ladybug



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anti just wants to feel welcome, Dark is an asshole but he tries not to be, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, they have a lot to work out still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 04:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12290850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowned_Ladybug/pseuds/Crowned_Ladybug
Summary: Written for prompts "I'm trying to save your life." and "Stop being so difficult."Or, taking care of Dark is one of the hardest challenges Anti has ever faced and Dark isn't making it any easier on him.





	Together We Bleed

**Author's Note:**

> Here I go again with my beloved trope of "these two have a lot to learn about loving each other and having a healthy relationship but they're gonna work it out together"
> 
> If you only look at the first part it feels like how I see most people write their Darks and it feels really weird. I guess it shows how far my version ended up straying from canon once I got to developing him?

Taking care of Dark is one of the hardest challenges Anti has ever faced in his entire life, and that's saying something. He has saved files from a dying computer (imagine going back into a burning building that might collapse on you any second and trying to retrieve stuff – yeah, that's pretty much what that was like), kept himself from murdering his brother's ex-wife all this time and successfully put on an act of pure evil for literally millions of people. But taking care of Dark is still the hardest to do out of all of these.

It's already taken him most of his patience to get him to stop moving. Now Dark is lying on his back on a bed because Anti is doubting he can even sit, his head turned the other way in protest. He makes it as obvious as possible that he's really not happy with Anti right now.

Anti doesn't give a shit.

He doesn't care about Dark's fragile little feelings right now, nor about how not tough it is to be bandaged up by someone else. Dark can go lick his wounds and play the angsty teenager all he wants, but not when he's profusely bleeding from a giant tear in his side. He quite frankly looks like he'd picked a fight with a dragon and lost. Badly.

"Stop moving," Anti hisses when Dark tries to avoid his hand. He adds some insults under his breath just for good measure.

Dark stills but continues refusing to look at him. Anti doesn't care about that. Dark can sulk all he wants as long as he stays on his ass and lets Anti take care of him.

Despite his own bitterness and Dark's petty behaviour, Anti is as gentle as ever. He wipes the blood off as carefully as he can and his hands halt every time he feels Dark's body tense. As he gets closer to the wound itself, it get worse. Dark clenches his jaw but he can't keep in a hiss of pain.

"Sorry," Anti mutters, not realising for a moment that they're currently giving each other the cold shoulder. "I'll make it as quick as I can."

The more blood he gets off and the more of it stains his hands, the less deadly the wound on Dark's side looks. Sure, it's still bleeding heavily and definitely not something you can fix with a band-aid, but at least it doesn't look like something Cerberus might have done anymore. Knowing Dark's healing capabilities it shouldn't even need stitches.

When Dark tries to get up the moment Anti's hands leave him Anti's frustration gets the best of him and he shoves him back down a little too roughly. "Stop being so difficult."

"Then stop mothering me and leave me alone," Dark growls back and he looks ready to fight. Only that Anti knows he would barely be able to stand up, let alone pack a single punch.

"I'm trying to save your life, asshole!" Anti shouts and his hand that isn't holding Dark's shoulder to the bed trembles. Maybe it's not completely true, but knowing Dark he could easily leave his wound untreated and bleed out still. That idiot. Anti gives him a pointed look as he reaches for the bandages he had borrowed from Henrik a while ago. "Sometimes I don't even know why I care about you."

"Me neither," Dark's voice sounds a little softer and Anti's hand falters as he picks up the nearest roll of bandage. He's not sure what Dark could mean by that, but by the time he looks at Dark his head is turned away again and his expression is blank.

Anti finishes bandaging him up in silence and Dark doesn't cause him any more problems. He lies in silence, moves when and how Anti seems to want him to and avoids his eyes all the way through. Once he's done, Anti stands up without a word. He gathers the leftover bandages and makes for the door.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning to check on you. If you'll still even be here, that is," he says from the door, his voice emotionless. Dark looks at him and he holds his gaze steadily. He gives him a steely look of resentment and pride, but he's hiding heartbreak under it and he knows Dark can see it. He hopes Dark can see it. He wants him to know how much it hurts.

Taking care of Dark is emotionally exhausting. Anti falls into bed and curls in on himself, needing sleep but needing some sort of comfort more. When the tears come he doesn't have the energy to hold them back anymore.

  


Anti goes back the next morning to check on Dark. He hates it. He hates that he loves Dark so much when it's so painful to do right now. He hates caring about him even when he barely spares him a look, let alone a kind word. He hates these nights.

He finds Dark shaking and in pain, lying in the same position he had left him in the previous night. Anti's expression softens upon seeing him and his heart fills with worry. Dark looks at him with unusual sadness in his eyes but he waits with speaking until Anti gets closer.

Anti starts changing his bandages without saying anything. He doesn't feel like talking right now. He's had a shit night, all because of Dark and because of his own feelings not letting him rest, and now he doesn't want to feel sorry for Dark. He doesn't want to feel in general, actually. Feeling always ends in pain.

"I'm sorry," Dark croaks and Anti has to hold himself back from looking at him. His hand stills anyway, resting on Dark's stomach while waiting for him to continue speaking. Does he even want to hear this? "I don't know what got into me last night. I'm sorry."

Anti shakes himself mentally and gets back to work. "You'd better be."

"I know," he shudders a heavy breath. His side is absolutely killing him now. "Anti, darling, look at me."

Anti doesn't. He doesn't want to be softened by warm eyes, a soft smile, a few sweet words. He's bitter and tired and he doesn't know what to think. Oh, what he wouldn't give for a simple life.

"Okay, then don't," Dark breathes nonchalantly. "But please tell me how I can make it up to you."

Anti wants to scream – go back in time, think about what you've done, be nice to me instead of only caring about your stupid image even behind closed doors. He remains silent, but his shoulders tense. He wants to cry.

"Look, I know I'm an asshole," Dark laughs. The pain is making him dizzy. "I honestly have no idea why you're still sticking around."

Anti wants to say that neither does he. He doesn't. Instead his busies himself with cleaning the dried blood from Dark's skin. The wound has only opened up more during the night and bled through all the bandages. They're demons. They don't heal like humans do. They get worse if they don't want to get better, for whatever reason it is that they don't. Dark had gotten worse during the night.

"But I want to be better," Dark rasps. He feels stupidly weak but he chooses to ignore the anxiety it gives him. Getting too caught up in his own powerfulness was what caused him to hurt Anti in the first place. "You know that too, right? I want to become better," he's having trouble breathing. This is bad. But he might as well say what's on his mind. "I want to become someone who deserves you."

Anti finishes up the bandaging, looking over his work to make sure it's not too tight or loose. He shudders, shuts his eyes once he's done and bites down on his lip, trying not to cry.

"Will you help me with that, darling?" Dark tries, whispering. He wants to reach for Anti's hand but isn't sure if he should. "You said you would when I first asked. Are you still willing to do that?"

Anti takes a deep breath, then another, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. His shoulders shake. He's too tired for this, too emotionally exhausted, too starved for affection. And scared, too, scared of needing Dark.

"Y-yeah," he wipes at his face. "yeah."

"Thank you," Dark lets his eyes slip shut. He's too tired to keep them open any longer. "I don't know what I have done to deserve your affections, but I couldn't be more grateful for you. Thank you for staying, despite everything."

Anti just nods, biting his lower lips again. Then he finally looks at Dark. "You should try to sleep. You're a mess," he risks a little smile. "We both are, actually."

Dark looks at him through half-lidded eyes. Pain was wearing him out to the very last bit. "Even like this you're still beautiful."

Anti laughs, and it makes his tears finally escape and roll down his cheeks. This is the Dark he fell in love with, the Dark who's sometimes a bit of an ass, absolutely helpless when it comes to emotions, but always adoring towards him, always charming and secretly a bit dorky.

"Yeah, you should definitely sleep," Anti shakes his head fondly. He leans on one hand and moves to kiss Dark on the forehead. Dark smiles up at him softly.

"I still want to make last night up to you. I hate to have hurt you so much."

"You can get on that once you stop dying," Anti nods.

Dark rolls his eyes, such an uncharacteristic thing but it's not the first time Anti sees him do that. "Priorities."

Anti chuckles and presses their noses together briefly. "I'm being serious though."

"I know. Will you stay?"

"Yeah."

Anti nestles himself next to him, carefully avoiding touching his side. He threads his fingers through Dark's hair until he closes his eyes with a light smile, and Anti presses a kiss to his head. He lets himself fall asleep too, cheek pressed into Dark's hair and arm draped around his shoulder.

This isn't the first time Dark has messed up and it won't be the last time. But he's learning, trying to keep Anti safe and make him feel loved, and Anti trusts him. Some days Dark doubts if he really should, if he should be loving a monster so much, but Anti stays and Dark decides that maybe love isn't blind, but it's definitely not picky either. And it's addicting, much more than cruelty or loneliness or being feared is. Anti's smile, the feel of his skin against Dark's lips and the feeling of falling asleep next to him is addicting. And Dark keeps chasing it, cherishing it, and most importantly – working for it.

It's a long road. But they end up happy.


End file.
